


This Stormy Night Precedes A Sunny Day

by YunaYamiMouto



Series: All Hallows Eve 2020 [1]
Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: ? - Freeform, Adventure, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Angst, BAMF Reborn (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!), Canon-Typical Violence, Confused Reborn (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!), Don't Examine This Too Closely, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Romance, F/M, Family, Friendship, God Have Mercy!, Hibari are Hibari, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, I Don't Even Know, I Tried, I'm Going to Hell, I'm Sorry, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Major Character Undeath, Minor Character Death, Monster Hunters, Monsters, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Not Beta Read, Not-so-happy ending, Possessive Reborn (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!), Protective Reborn (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!), Reborn Needs a Hug, Sort Of, Temporary Character Death, The Renato Sinclair Vagabond Train, The present is technically the past for this 'verse, There will be a sequel!, Vampires, What Have I Done, What Was I Thinking?, Why Did I Write This?, With a smile and not an ounce of shame, also sort of, developing feelings, halloween fic, i don't know why i did this to myself, read and see, sort of hopeful ending?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:34:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27314131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YunaYamiMouto/pseuds/YunaYamiMouto
Summary: It is a world of monsters and hunters, with dark skies and foggy nights. But who are the real monsters, when the hunters are the ones to truly fear?(A story told from our dearest hitman's point of view)
Relationships: Arcobaleno & Reborn (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!), Fon & Hibari Kyouya, Fon & Reborn (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!), Fon (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!) & Original Character(s), Fon/Reborn (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!), Hibari Kyouya & Reborn, Hibari Kyoya & Hibird, Leon & Reborn (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!), Reborn & Doctor Shamal (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!)
Series: All Hallows Eve 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1994176
Comments: 6
Kudos: 31





	This Stormy Night Precedes A Sunny Day

**Author's Note:**

> Monsters, adventures, family, developing feelings, tragedy, betrayal ... You name it, this angsty fic might just have it!
> 
> Hope you like it!

Renato Sinclair, more commonly known as the best monster hunter in the world, was on the hunt.

Well, actually, he's the best _hitman_ in the world, having started off as a regular assassin many years ago, but then he got one client with some really specific and weird requests and nearly died when an actual fucking _demon_ lunged to rip his heart out, _literally_. That was his introduction to the world of the supernatural, a dark and spooky place he had thought to be nothing more than fantasy and paranoia of the feeble minded, but it turns out even _he_ can be wrong. He succeeded the mission, of course - he wasn't the damn best for _nothing_ , you know - and word spread that an ordinary human had defeated a demon even the best monster hunters were struggling against.

Which, of course, led to more such missions coming his way and, eventually, he was even approached by several hunter clans, who offered him proper training and a place among their ranks.

Foolish eighteen year old Renato had, eventually, accepted the training - more so he could know which was the best way to kill his new targets, which materials he should find, if there are any antidotes he should keep on hand and the such - offer from a group calling themselves the Arcobaleno, the supposedly most powerful and most influential hunter clan out there. Of course, back then, Renato hadn't known hunters weren't exactly human themselves, at least not anymore. Hunters pumped themselves with monster blood in an attempt to gain heightened senses, supernatural speed and strength and even going as far as trying to enhance their own mental abilities. One of the main reasons for injecting monster blood was because humans normally could never use magic and magic is something the supernatural beings mostly did as easily as breathing, which gave them an advantage even over the best hunters, with the most monster blood in their veins. Mastery over magic was necessary if one wants to fight monsters.

Now, Renato has never had any higher goal with hunting monsters. He was a hitman, an assassin, a paid mercenary first and foremost. Point him at a target and give him a high enough price and he won't care either way. Be it human or monster, he just likes killing things and is good at it. He's not a morally sound person, nor does he care to be. Life was too boring when simply following the rules.

The group he 'joined', though, as well as the rest of the monster hunter clans, all had some higher goal to strive for and the Arcobaleno had tried to get him to believe in theirs. Renato would just sit and listen with half an ear to their ramblings, not even really registering their words, while cleaning his guns, playing with his pet chameleon or studying some new book he'd pulled from their archives. For two years, they let him be, just training and 'conditioning' him, though they never realized it had no effect because he'd seen through them from day one. But then, suddenly, the leader, a woman called Luce, had some sort of vision, induced by oracle blood of some sort that coursed through her veins, and the woman started spending more time around him. Renato didn't gave a damn one way or the other. Of the six that made up the Arcobaleno when he had joined them, Luce was the most harmless one.

Or so he thought until, one day, he woke up strapped to a table and Verde, the scientist of the group, had a needle pressing into his arm and a strange fluid flowing into his body through it. Halfway through the injection, Renato had managed to get himself together and break free of the bonds. He had yanked the needle out, uncaring for the wound he'd made in his arm, clocked Verde into unconsciousness, gathered his guns and ammo and pet before making a run for it. The others gave chase, of course, but whatever Verde had been injecting him with was enough even with half a dosage to make the already fast hitman even _faster_ , _stronger_. And, best of all, it gave him fucking magic, which he accidentally spread onto his pet, Leon, who promptly became ten times smarter and a _shapeshifter_.

For eight years, Renato has managed to avoid dealing with 'the strongest seven' since he burned down their headquarters during his escape. That's, actually, how he earned his title as the strongest monster hunter. It's what made his business bloom even as he went freelance, stayed unaffiliated. He got to choose requests, turn them down as he wished without repercussions. He became a fucking _celebrity_ , for crying out loud!

Which is, coincidentally, also how he found him on the hunt right now.

You see, he was hired to take down a vampire that rumor has it is as old as his entire race, one of the first ones. Finding a pure blooded vampire is rare enough as it is, these days, most of the ones roaming the streets being the turned ones and even _they_ are rare these days, so he's not sure if he believes it. Vampires are one of the oldest and most powerful supernatural creatures still around. The theory most accepted these days is that the supernatural creatures all began from some strange mutation taking hold of humans and/or animals that evolved with time and the magical energy of the Earth itself until they became what they are today. Vampires can't be explained away in the same way, because there exists multiple pieces of evidence that all indicate vampires have been around even _longer_. Not as long as dragons, who are believed to be magically mutated dinosaurs, but definitely older than even the earliest primates.

Vampires were definitely older than humans and they lived and existed by completely different rules of physics and biology. They were faster and stronger than almost every other creature. Their senses can't be matched by anyone else besides werewolves and hellhounds in scenting and griffons and harpies in eyesight, where they fall a bit short. And their magic, if it is true that they have any, is supposedly second only to dragons. The last one can't be proved, because no one has actually survived a fight against a vampire. Even the best hunters, even _groups_ of hunters all go down with the vampire they are hunting. The turned ones are easy to kill, that's true. They are weak against sun and water, chopping off the head and burning it works fine, too, as does carving out their cold, dead heart. Letting a vampire starve is a way to go, too, but all of these methods only work on the turned ones. The pure ones - the ones _born_ as vampires - can only be killed in special rituals involving either summoning pure holy water from the heavens or hellfire from the deepest, darkest pits of hell. Today, there are, of course, bullets that can immobilize or severely weaken a vampire permanently, filled with blood or made of body parts of other creatures. Werewolf blood can rob a vampire of almost all of their power and bullets of another vampire's fangs can poison a vampire into an eternal coma. They are still alive, their blood still holds magic, but they will never wake again. Dragon scales can also open a wound and _leave_ it open for eternity, essentially starving the vampire as they can never get the required amount of blood to survive. Daggers drenched in pixie blood drive a vampire insane and tricking a vampire into drinking the blood of a corpse can also be lethal.

Renato preferred the bullets option, because he was used to wielding guns his whole life. Well, since the age of thirteen, really. That when he'd killed first and was forced to go on the run or be hung for killing his own mother's murderer. Had society cared one iota for those of lower status, someone would have rushed into their humble bookstore to help his mother fight off the noble that was trying to force intercourse on her. Renato was only regretful that he hadn't wrestled the lord's gun from him sooner. His mother would at least still be alive today, even if he would stay a murderer. As it was, the lord had strangled her in his attempt to make her stop fighting him and Renato Sinclair found himself to be nothing more than another orphaned street urchin. His only option was to find himself a profession that he can keep while staying on the run.

Becoming a hitman was it.

Sometimes, he wondered what his mother would say, if she could see him now, twenty eight years old, unmarried, no children - as far as he knew, anyway; he was careful but with how much he slept around, he might have accidentally knocked someone up. It's why he preferred to do it with men; less drama and fewer risks - and a professional mercenary for hire with a kill count that people ten times his age couldn't match. (You meet all sorts of people as a monster hunter, including other monster hunters that ate pixie dust, mermaid hearts and phoenix feathers to extend their lifespans.) Then he would brush those thoughts off and continue living his life.

And if he wants to keep doing that, he needs to be careful. Whether the rumors were true or not, vampires are still extremely dangerous and stronger and faster than what he himself can achieve, even with whatever shit was injected into him eight years ago.

The vampire he was hunting had a high bounty on their head but no one really dared go after them. Renato didn't even know their gender, that's how elusive they were, how dangerous, how _deadly_. Or simply, even more terrifyingly, how _skilled_. Renato was hoping it was the last one. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt a thrill in the chase. With the right equipment and the training he'd briefly received, along with whatever was flowing golden through his veins, Renato rarely, if ever, found a challenge these days. He's bored.

This was, indeed, the most fun he'd had in a while, just hunting the vampire down. It had taken him _two months_ and he was now almost high on excitement and blood lust as he stalked his prey through the corridors of a dark, Gothic, seemingly abandoned mansion. He had on scent suppressant tags, he'd actually left his shoes outside to be quieter even though he had cast a silencing spell and he had a silencer on his gun.

And yet still, somehow, the vampire was expecting him when he finally came up to the master bedroom, except there was no bed, no furniture, as if the vampire had cleared it all up to make more space for the inevitable fight.

Renato just chuckled darkly before they both lunged for each other.

In the dim lighting, usually the vampire with his - and yes, Renato can confirm it was a man - enhanced eyesight would have the advantage, but Renato's supernatural blood also boosted his senses as well as his muscles. It allowed him to move freely and fairly match the vampire's movements. Even as the vampire sped up, so did Renato. They exchanged, dodged and parried blows, kicks, even bursts of magic! The vampire's eyes kept flashing silver and Renato couldn't help but admire how pretty they are. Not that that stopped him from continuing to fight mercilessly, but the vampire was seriously strong, stronger than Renato had thought possible. Faster, too. The hitman had to actively channel his powers to match his ever increasing speed and then even had to resort to _magic_ just to match him. Clearly, this vampire was in a hurry, which just made Renato scowl.

He didn't _like_ not being the center of his opponent's attention, so he changed the game by punching the vampire straight through a wall into a far better lit room, mostly because half of its wall facing the outside was demolished.

It's the first time he actually got to see his prey and his breath couldn't help but hitch.

Pure blooded vampires were always rumored to be either monstrously ugly or devilishly beautiful and Renato now found out which rumor was true as he stared at the vampire jumping back up to his feet while also trying to regain his breath. Long, silky, black hair was tied back in a braid that reached the shorter man's waist, making the pale but not unhealthily so skin stand out more. Dressed in flowing red and white garb, with sharp eyes and elegant features, the vampire was absolutely stunning. Renato could see why so many people fall for their thrall, only to end up dead or turned, if this is how beautiful they are.

Those silver eyes flashed again and Renato focused back on the task at hand, the fight. They moved as fast as lightning, the both of them, and the hitman took out his gun to fire some stun shots at the vampire, who easily dodged as if bullets were the silliest thing to be aimed at him. They continued like this for half an hour before Renato finally got a lucky shot in, so to say. The pretty vampire went down with a cry of pain just barely stifled as Reborn lodged an ordinary knife deep into his rib cage, destroying his right lung but it was not nearly enough to kill him. The pain will stun him only for so long so Renato put in a clip of silver bullets forged in hellfire and quenched in holy water and crouched down by his target, pushing the gun hard against the underside of the vampire's jaw. The vampire tried to struggle, eyes flaring red with magic and fangs bared in a hissing threat, but Renato grabbed him by the hair and yanked his head back in the most vulnerable position he can manhandle him into.

His eyes were cold and unapologetic as he released the safety. "Nothing personal, sweetheart. This is just business." Though he acknowledged what a shame it was to lose such a pretty, strong individual. This is the most challenge Reborn has had in his _life_. He kind of wants to _keep_ the vampire around, wants to spar with him more, wants to see what else he knows. He'd kept switching fluidly through fighting styles and his garb suggests he's a martial artist from the east, and a skilled one, too. Renato wants to make him reach his limit, but he had been unlucky enough to become Renato's target and so he must die. " _Arrivederci_."

He was about to pull the trigger when the door of the room they had ended their fight in burst open and Renato and the vampire both whirled their heads around to see what was interrupting them. The Italian's eyes widened marginally at the sight of a carbon, miniature copy of his opponent, dressed in a frilly dress shirt, black slacks and a cape - your typical vampire garb, as far as ordinary, uninformed humans were concerned - with silver eyes desperate and angry while the man under him suddenly went as tense as a bow string ready to release an arrow or _snap_.

"You! Get off of my uncle or I will bite you to death!" Threatened the .. the _child_ vampire and Renato wasn't sure what he was reeling from more, the threat or the cute lisp this _child vampire_ displayed while delivering it.

"Kyoya! What are you doing here!? I told you to _run_!" The man under him, this child's _uncle_ , snaps desperately but the boy doesn't listen. Instead, he _summons a pair of metal tonfa_ with _magic_ and glares threateningly at the hitman.

"Last chance, herbivore!"

The adult vampire, seeing he can't reason with his nephew, instead turns to the hunter. "You're here for me! Just kill me but leave him _out of this_!" He sounds pleading, desperate, _terrified_. But the look in his eyes, when he looks back down at him, is determined to give his life for the kid's. " _Please_! He's got nothing to do with this!"

Renato frowns at that. The boy is clearly a vampire - the lisp was caused by his childish fangs peeking out from under his upper lip, whether the kid was doing it on purpose to appear threatening or if he didn't have the control to retract them is unclear - so why would the man say something like that? Him just being a vampire is damning enough ... Isn't it? That's why they were being hunted, right?

"Kyoya, just _run_ , _please_!" The older vampire pleads with the boy again, snapping the hunter out of his musings. "Just run! Save yourself! I won't let you die here with me!"

"I won't let you die!" Snapped back the child, raising his tonfa resolutely. "You're all I have left! I won't leave you!" The boy's eyes flare purple with magic and Reborn could tell, in that moment, that the littler vampire is ready to fight and _die_ if it means he might save his uncle.

It is uncomfortably familiar and the gun in his hand suddenly feels heavy and unfamiliar, as though he'd never held it before. The look in the adult vampire's eyes made him think back to eyes as dark as his own full of the same despair and desperation as his mother tried to convince him to run because she couldn't be sure if her assaulter will turn to him next-

He removes his gun from the man's throat without realizing it and Leon even turned back to his usual, chameleon form. Both of the vampires stared at him with wide eyes and slightly agape mouth, disbelief clear in every line of their features as he rocked back on his heels, giving the older vampire space to get up. Instead, the child - Kyoya, he guessed he could acknowledge the boy's name now - ran over to his uncle and started checking him over, mostly focusing on the knife still firmly lodged in the man's chest. Renato reached over to take it out and heal the man - the irony of a hitman being gifted with super healing; the Arcobaleno sure did know how to pick 'em - but the vampire waved him off.

"I've got this," he reassured and touched the handle of the knife and the hunter watched in fascination as the whole weapon disintegrated under the pale, nimble fingers. It still left a huge fucking hole in his chest, but then Kyoya leaned over and violet flame-like magic burned over his hands as he put them on his uncle's chest and the wound started closing over. It wasn't like any sort of healing magic Renato had ever seen. It looked like the skin was connecting itself because new cells were forming rapidly and just attaching themselves to each other, as opposed to spells that make the body work overtime to make the cells split and let the body do the healing itself but faster than natural. "Thank you, Kyoya. I am fine now. You did well." Then he turned to the hitman and smiled at him gratefully, if a bit hesitantly. "And thank you, Mister ... "

"Just Renato is fine," he groused, pulling his fedora over his eyes, sighing in exasperation at himself. If this got out, it will ruin his reputation and he can't let that happen. People would come after him like a tide of enemies. Weakness was not an option for a hitman, let alone the world's greatest, _especially_ not for a monster hunter, _especially_ especially the world's greatest. And this _would_ be perceived as a weakness, if not failure and proof he's as flawed as everyone else. _Fuck_.

(Somehow, he couldn't quite bring himself to regret it.)

"Renato." The way the vampire said his name made him shiver, for some reason. "Thank you. For sparing Kyoya."

"Not you?" He asked, even if he already knew the answer.

The boy, though, surprised them both with his own begrudging yet genuine gratitude and Renato felt himself relax. Even as his mind wondered if he would have been grateful to anyone who could have come to his and his mother's rescue all those years ago, he relaxed, because he had just assured there was at least one less family tragedy the likes of the Sinclairs.

The man smiled at his nephew and patted him on the head, to which the boy hesitated before pulling away with an embarrassed huff. Renato briefly wondered just how old Kyoya actually was. Vampires can choose when to stop aging; well, the pure ones, at least. And seeing as these two had some pretty strong magic, Renato was ready to admit that the rumors might have been true.

_'Still,'_ he thought with a frown as he ran an automatic check on what was left of his equipment after this abandoned hunt. He was satisfied with how few things he will have to replace, but displeased all the same with the fact that he won't be bringing any money in. Unless, of course, his no-longer-target would be willing to pretend to be dead for a couple of decades. It's not as if it would be too much time to ask of a vampire, either! Vampires live for _centuries_ and are called young. But that's not his main concern here. _'I was hired to kill_ one _vampire, but found two. One of whom is a_ child _!'_ Children vampires are extremely sought after by certain hunter clans. It was one of their practices, like injecting oneself with blood of different monsters in order to stand a chance against the supernatural, to collect monsters as practically bodyguards and attack dogs. Those clans usually draw roots from some of the first humans who had mixed their blood with that of monsters, back before they started openly, indiscriminately hunting them and supernatural beings had still trusted them enough to _volunteer_ their blood to help their human companions. Today, they are called beast tamers and there are several clans who can boast such a title. There used to be more, but it is their hunt of the ancients that led them to near obscurity.

For someone to hire him to kill the caretaker of a child vampire, no matter how old Kyoya might actually be ... His client must have known and had been hoping for Renato to take out the bigger threat, leaving the child 'defenseless', as defenseless as a pure blooded vampire can ever be, that is. And Kyoya in particular looked ready to tear people apart with his bare hands and those tonfa had been summoned but were now gone.

"Why do you think I was hired to kill you?" He asked bluntly and both vampires froze, tension seeping into every inch of their bodies. "Relax, I don't plan on killing you, not anymore." He wasn't about to tell them why, but he could see they needed the reassurance if he wanted them to talk with him. "I'm just curious. My client ordered the execution of one adult vampire, supposedly a pure blooded one, but there's never been mention of a child. Is the little one a recent acquirement on your journey? Did you piss someone off? Or did you just catch the attention of some big hunter clan?"

"A bit of both for the last two," the man replied honestly. "And no, Kyoya and I have been traveling like this for centuries."

So the kid could be Renato's grandfather several times over? How was this his life?

"I'm sorry, I never introduced myself," the vampire continued, smiling politely. "My name is Hibari Fon and, as you can guess by now, this is my nephew, Kyoya. We are, indeed, what you humans call pure blooded vampires, though the term _born_ is a lot more accurate. As for who might be after us, it can be either the Vongola or the Arcobaleno. They are the ones currently collecting," he said, sounding a bit bitter or angry or both, the hitman couldn't quite say.

Renato soured, too, at the mention of his former 'friends'. So his 'client' was a middleman? If he ever saw him again, that man was _dead_. "Did they know about Kyoya?"

"They're collecting," Kyoya himself replied and that was answer enough, really. Tamers only collect the young creatures that they think they can condition, but because vampires can _literally_ be any age they want to be, one can never be sure.

"They knew," Fon confirmed sighing and bringing a hand up to run through his hair. "Though they started chasing us because of _me_. Or, well, my kind and my generation, to be precise. I'm just one of the last few left."

The - mostly - human arched an eyebrow. "You can't tell me that those rumors about you being as old as your race are actually true?" He honestly expected - and hoped for, secretly - an amused snort or something else that would demonstrate just how absurd the whole thing was. Instead, he got to watch the two vampire's exchange a look between them that left him unsettled. "Right?"

"... We should probably leave this place if you want to talk," Fon said with a full-body sigh, getting to his feet. He didn't even wince despite the bruises he must have acquired in their fight and the fact that, moments ago, he'd had a knife in his chest. Kyoya stuck close to his side, eyeing Renato suspiciously and yet trusting him enough to let him have their backs when Fon turned to lead the way.

Not really knowing what to do and curious despite himself, Renato followed.

00000

That's how he found himself in yet another abandoned residence, though the hunter - regular game hunter - cottage had nothing on the mansion they'd met in, in size and comfort both. But it had a good hearth and some pots and other cooking supplies and there was a well with fresh water outside. Fon made them some rabbit stew just when Renato was beginning to think these vampires have dragged him miles from civilization to feast on him and that's when he heard the strangest, most puzzling thing in his life.

"Born vampires don't need to drink blood to survive?" He asked incredulously, staring at his new ... companions. It's just been one night since he'd attempted to murder Fon and make Kyoya into an orphan but these two didn't seem the least bit offended or fazed, as though they were used to it. Which is probably true, given what their species was, but that still didn't sit well with Renato. "But isn't that, like, the main reason why you've always been hunted, even before the whole monster hunters shtick? Because you were killing humans and livestock alike?"

Kyoya snorted after swallowing a spoonful of meat and stew. "That's an excuse and nothing else. Born vampires can get the needed nutrients and minerals from the same food sources as humans, though milk makes us nauseous and we need more greens and no artificial sweets. Honey, sure, and the sugars from vegetables and fruits, but none of that garbage you humans like to stuff yourselves with. It clogs up our arteries and disrupts the flow of power in our bodies. Gives us indigestion."

"We pretty much just need to eat more food items with lots of iron and copper," Fon explained with a smile. "More red meats, less chicken and turkey. The reason they spread such a bullshit rumor was because we were the only ones still consuming horse meat in the middle ages, among the 'civilized society, anyway. It's not like we went around killing horses or anything. Vampires can consume the meat of a dead animal just fine, as long as it is correctly thermally treated so that the excess blood evaporates. We can eat just about anything, but horse meat is rich in iron. We can also absorb iron from vegetables like spinach and beet and the such fully, unlike humans who absorb only up to four percent. Our bodies were made to consume and store minerals and proteins better. That doesn't exactly make us monstrous murderers. In fact, we find human meat and even blood detestable. We only ever drink human blood when they ask us."

" _Ask you_?" Renato repeated disbelievingly. "Who the hell would _ask_ to be sucked dry?"

Fon frowned and Kyoya sneered in disgusted at him even as the older vampire replied. "Only young, just turned vampires can lose control like that and they usually feast on humans because of the rumors _humans_ spread because they don't know there are alternatives. Actually, it's really easy to quench that initial ravenous thirst with just about anything that imitates blood. Like in that ancient Egyptian myth about a lion goddess gone mad with blood lust. I won't go into the whole story, there's no need to, but the point I am trying to make is that the other gods had dyed beer to look like blood and offered it to her to drink until she calmed down and fell asleep."

"Booze is the way?" The hitman asked with amusement and Fon chuckled while the miniature copy of him rolled his eyes.

"No. Anything containing substances normally found in blood are. For instance, different types of alcoholic drinks contain surprising amounts of minerals and vitamins good for blood. Like let's take beer as an example, since we've already mentioned it: because of the yeast in its recipe, is rich with vitamin B, which is essential in binding minerals like magnesium, potassium, zinc and calcium to the bones and you know bone marrow creates hemoglobin, which is rich with iron. Just like that, newly turned vampires can feed on just about anything as long as they get enough iron in those first few days."

"It's all the humans' fault, anyway," the younger of the two groused, taking a particularly big chomp of his food, making Renato arch an eyebrow. "Humans aren't meant to live like us because they're utter herbivores and don't know how to take care of themselves properly."

" _You're_ the ones that suck on us and turn us," he pointed out and both vampires snorted this time.

"Why the fuck-"

"Language, Kyoya."

"-would we share our power, longevity and secrets with a bunch of apes that shed most of their hair?" Kyoya sneered, glaring at the hitman. The man in question couldn't help but be offended, but let it slide because humans _were_ dicks. He would know, he is one. Besides, there were far more important things to discuss.

"Then why do turned vampires exist?"

Kyoya refused to answer and instead looked at Fon as if to signal he should answer. It would seem the boy has used up his words for the day. It's something Renato had learned quickly - Kyoya was bordering on antisocial, that's how aloof he was.

The long haired Hibari sighed and pushed away his food for the moment. "What you need to first realize is that, in the beginning, vampires interacted with humans for medical reasons."

"How do you mean?"

"You know leech therapy, using them to suck out poisons and help blood circulation? Well, the idea came from vampires originally doing that instead. We'd suck out snake or scorpion poisons or even infections from wounds and spit them out and then use some magic to help them along towards a faster recovery. We even taught them basic medicine."

"Okay, I can see how that can start the fear of being turned into food, but I don't see how that has anything with the whole turning topic," Renato couldn't help but interrupt.

Kyoya glared at him for it but Fon didn't seem to mind. "It's important because that's how a vampire met his mate, the first time a vampire got serious with a human. As you know, humans have short lifespans compared to most supernatural creatures. Hunters like yourself counter that with monster blood cocktails." Renato looked away for a second before getting his shit back together and looking back. They don't need to know just how he got his own 'cocktail'. He didn't need their pity and he would rather keep that moment of weakness a secret forever. "Before needles and hospitals, only vampires could do it, a blood transfusion."

"So, what, he turned the human? Just to extend their lifespan? Was it even consensual?"

"Yes," was all the martial artist said as a reply, which probably meant the answer was the same for all three questions. Hopefully. "That's how the practice originally started. But turned vampires and then dhampires - children of vampires and ordinary humans - couldn't control themselves if they're hungry. It later became a status symbol, too, because vampires can control those they turn if they give them too much of their blood, so the more people you turned, the better standing you'll have among vampires."

"Or so the turned ones viewed it," groused the younger vampire, done with his food. "Unfortunately, that stupidity spread on the younger born vampires, which eventually gave hunters the right reasoning to hunt us, either for our blood or to eradicate us, and get them the support of the rest of their society. It's why there's so few of us left and why uncle and I are on the run."

"So humans turned on their allies because they wanted their power?" That didn't surprise him at all. Supernatural beings were extremely powerful and had a whole plethora of abilities that would make life both easier and incredibly harder for humans, depending on how they're used. And humans have never dealt well with not being the strongest, most advanced beings on Earth. "I'll admit I'm honestly surprised that vampires haven't retaliated."

"They have," Fon waved him off. "It's just never been written down in any history chronicles because the ease with which vampires halved the population of the world frightened even dragons and they are the only creatures in this world stronger than us." So, yeah, that was saying something. Renato tried not to pale at hearing this. He had to actively remind himself that Fon probably hadn't participated in that war or whatever it was ... But then he recalled Fon's supposed age and had to rethink that certainty, something he didn't want to. It would explain Fon's battle-readiness, even if he'd technically lost their fight. Had the vampire even really been serious about fighting him? He was obviously trying to make sure Kyoya could escape, but he could have ensured his safety even more easily if he'd just killed their pursuer.

Except Fon had made it clear that he's never killed someone before, usually just using magic to make them think they'd never even encountered the two vampires. Renato wondered now if he'd meant that he'd never killed at all, even in the war the humans have started against his kind, but decided he'd rather _not_ know. It was clear Fon was trying to keep himself innocent in the eyes of the law, because that would mean the hunters have no legitimate reason to go after him, which could earn him safe haven pretty much everywhere, if they need it. If it got out that he'd killed a human, a hunter, _the world's greatest hitman_ , he'd never be accepted into any safehouse, he'd be actively hunted, he'd be too famous to hide and he'd have to leave Kyoya to his own devices just to keep people from noticing a _child vampire_ ambling around.

There was no telling if Kyoya would be able to escape the Vongola or the Arcobaleno for long all on his own.

With that sobering realization, Renato didn't say another word for the rest of dinner. Fon resumed eating his food while Kyoya got bored of them and wandered away from the dingy little table they'd been eating at. Renato only looked up from his now cold food when he heard the chirping of a bird despite it already being rather dark outside.

It looked like a yellow canary and it had just flown in through the chimney of all things, unbothered by ash or dust that had fallen onto its pretty yellow feathers. It made a few circles around the room, chirping 'Hibari! Hibari!' happily before it landed on Kyoya's small mop of black hair and then it started _talking_ to him in a cute, high-pitched voice. Renato observed the stupidly cute scene and even allowed himself to smile minutely at the subtle joy and adoration pet and pet owner showed for each other. Kyoya actually _smiled_ at the little bird. He hadn't thought the surly child could do that. He'd know these vampires for about a day now and this is the first time he'd seen Kyoya acting like an actual child, even if he had no idea the kid's real age.

He was broken out of his admiration for such adorableness when the bird _caught fucking fire_! He almost shot it but Fon reacted quicker and grabbed his hand, not harshly, but restrainingly. He looked over to the vampire but the man just shook his head. He looked relaxed, unworried, which made Renato relax, too, if a bit reluctantly. "That's just Hibird, he's harmless. Well, to us, anyway."

"It's on fucking fire," Renato deadpanned and Fon smiled at him, clearly amused.

"That's what a phoenix does, Renato."

The hitman stared. Phoenixes were even rarer than _dragons_ , though not as old and not as magically powerful. A phoenix can heal, revive and set things on fire, maybe make things grow under certain conditions. The things they could influence or do were limited, compared to dragons who can do just about anything, depending on their breed. However, phoenixes had the most body parts that could be used to enhance humans, spells, medicines, weapons, objects or potions, the most valuable being its heart. It is said that if one eats a phoenix's heart, they will be invincible, immortal, would transcend time and be allowed into the dimensions between space and reality, have access to all the knowledge stored in there. If someone gets _bonded_ to a phoenix's heart ... Well, they might as well be a god walking on this mud ball of a planet, because they'd have access to all the power and knowledge _any_ phoenix had ever possessed, while also being immortal and invincible and all that other jazz. You can't really _kill_ a phoenix, though many have tried. Even eating the heart can't keep the birds of fire and ash down, not forever. It's why they'd never propagated the way dragons, also bordering on immortal, have.

"Where the fuck did you find a phoenix?" He couldn't help but ask, not really believing his eyes.

Fon shrugged. "Hibird found us. Or rather, he found Kyoya. A few decades back, we ran across a nephilim who was very interested in following in his mother's footsteps and becoming a monster hunter _and_ a tamer on top of that, despite not having the necessary blood. Wanted to stick it to the Vongola or something, I believe. He wanted a vampire for his group, and decided the best option would be a born vampire. Kyoya had been ill after an encounter with a potions master and he hadn't been at his best, so the nephilim managed to snatch him up while i had been trying to get the medicine needed to flush out the potion from Kyoya's system. Hibird is the one who healed Kyoya while he'd been in captivity and then Kyoya fought his way free. He came back with plenty of scrapes and bruises and even a broken bone or two, but he had a phoenix on his shoulder already slowly healing him. I didn't want to think what sort of damage he'd actually taken to begin with if vampire enhanced healing and phoenix super healing were taking that long to restore him back to full health. Hibird's been with us ever since. Refuses to leave Kyoya. I think he is waiting to offer his heart to him, but I don't know much about the intelligence of phoenixes so I have no idea if Hibird doesn't realize Kyoya, despite his appearance, is old enough to consent magical bonds or if he's waiting for something else."

"Well, at least I'm not the only one with a strange pet," Renato commented with an amused huff, reaching up to his fedora so Leon can jump onto his hand and he can bring the lizard down so he can gaze upon him.

Fon echoes his amusement. "You'd be surprised." Fon then reached up to his left billowing sleeve and tugged it up, revealing a big serpentile dragon tattoo going from just above his wrist up to his shoulder and even further, possibly ending somewhere on his chest. "I used to travel with a storm dragon that loved turning into a red-faced monkey. Loved litchi so much that I ended up calling her Lichi. We spent thirteen centuries together."

The human - as human as he can ever be, these days - hesitated but asked anyway. "What happened to her?"

The way Fon's face closed off in grief was answer enough so he let the topic drop.

They stayed surprisingly quiet for the rest of the night.

00000

Renato found himself traveling further with his new vampire acquaintances. When asked why, he would say he either had nothing better to do or that he wanted to make sure they left the country. He and Fon had discussed at great length that the two vampires can't stay in Italy, let alone down on Sicily where they can easily be seen and hunted again. Fon said that had been his and Kyoya's plan to begin with. They were actually trying to get to Japan, of all places, because they had an ancestral home there or something.

Renato honestly wanted to see them make it home, but the journey was going to be a long one, and that was excluding the fact that the vampires couldn't exactly use public transport, nor would it be safe for them to use their supernatural speed to travel. Both would draw unwanted attention and even vampires had only so much stamina before they had to take a break, at which point they would be tired and vulnerable, easy targets even for less talented hunters than Renato. Fon and Kyoya didn't seem to mind his company as he escorted them off of Sicily and past Naples, then Rome and finally out of Italy. They seemed surprised when he kept traveling with them, but neither commented on it.

At that point, they'd been traveling together for two months and two months is actually a lot of time to get to know people. Who knew, right? Renato was tempted to even call these two his ... _friends_. He'd never had those. Or rather, he'd _thought_ he had, in the Arcobaleno, but you already know how that had ended. Renato had honestly thought he'd die with Leon as his only friend.

And then came Fon and Kyoya and he was forced to acknowledge that he was grateful for them.

They made life interesting.

Like just earlier today, when a group of werewolves had attacked what they perceived to be an ordinary human, only to get their asses handed to them by the hitman with some last minute assistance from his vampire friends when the entire pack descended on him. He probably could have won against them all - his Chaos Shot was one of the strongest offensive spells in the world, after all - but he would have been severely weakened and probably injured badly enough that they'd have to stay in that rotten village a lot longer than any of them would have preferred.

Watching both of the vampires fight was a delight. They used a complicated mix of different styles, some ancient, some Renato himself knew or had fought against, and they both moved with such deadly grace that Renato was proud to say they were his friends.

They were interesting company, too. Kyoya had started opening and warming up to him, which he honestly hadn't expected. The kid turned out to be a bit of a bookworm besides a battle enthusiast. He knew more spells than both adults combined, because he didn't focus on just battle spells like Fon mostly did. Fon's magic, apparently, wasn't very suitable for healing, so he heavily relied on the usual vampire enhanced healing that came from their strong blood, while Kyoya could, if he concentrated enough, probably regrow entire organs and limbs with his magic. It would leave him exhausted for a couple of days, but he could do it. (It reminded the hitman an awfully uncomfortable lot of a certain lackey he had tried not to think about for the past eight years, just as he had not tried to think of the other five people he had once genuinely thought might be his friends.) Kyoya could do a lot of other things with his magic besides destructive and propagating/healing things, like hardening surfaces (also reminding him an awful lot of a certain scientist, even if Kyoya's ability paled in comparison because his magic wasn't exactly suited for it, but Kyoya had a way of improvising that was honestly very admirable), sensing at long distances, longer than his hearing or smell could reach, he could cast illusions and summon things from various pocket dimensions.

Renato actually found himself studying with the younger vampire a lot these days. The kid loved investigating and researching matters that interested him and he was of the firm belief that knowledge was power. This, coming from a battle maniac, meant a lot and it showed a whole new side of the otherwise volatile boy. It showed his age and the wisdom he seems to have accounted for it, even if neither vampire were going to tell him just how old they were. Not yet. They, apparently, didn't want to freak him out.

Fon, though, he appreciated for a lot of different things. Like the delicious meals, the engaging conversations and quiet nights of stargazing like tonight as he rested up after the short encounter with the werewolves. Fon was kind and caring - a bit of a mother hen, really - and he knew and recognized boundaries. He didn't push or prod, but he still offered an ear or silent companionship regardless. Renato can't express just how much he was grateful for that. The werewolf encounter today had actually shaken him up a bit, because he's been avoiding werewolves - and several other creatures - for eight years now.

Because one of his 'friends' had been very proud of having been injected with werewolf blood to help him fight supernatural beings and he had thought that the blond man, of the those six people, had at least been a genuine friend, someone he could bond with because they had had a friendly rivalry going that was all fun and games. How naive he was.

"I don't mean to pry," Fon said, startling him out of his thoughts and making him look towards the vampire. His pale skin seemed to almost reflect the light of the full moon hanging over them beautifully, like a being of fey. They were staying in a cave tonight, away from civilization just because of the celestial body above them, because they couldn't be sure if the werewolves would come back for a second round when their power is at its peak. Kyoya was asleep in the cave behind them, but neither adult entertained the idea that the littler vampire would sleep through a fight waiting to happen should the werewolves try to approach them. "But I will admit to curiosity that's been weighing down on my mind and causing quite a bit of confusion."

Renato wondered why he found it so endearing that Fon reverted to almost formal speech when he was uncertain and trying not to upset someone. The man was by far the most powerful being in their little group - yes, including the ever present Hibird that often acted as a scout for them - but he was almost self-conscious at times like these. Renato wondered if Fon had ever had a friend and, if he had, how long ago had it been.

"You can ask anything. Doesn't mean I'll answer, but you won't upset or anger me with just a question, Fon," the hunter reassured and the vampire nodded.

"Why did you become a hunter? At times, I get the feeling you are more hateful towards humans than monsters, yet you hunt us. It is confusing." Renato looked at Fon, who turned his head away. Renato's eyesight isn't the best in this poor lighting, but he could have sworn Fon was ... Was he really _blushing_? Why? _Why_ was he doing this to Renato? It was too cute for an ancient vampire to be fair! "I mean, you ... You spared Kyoya ... and _me_ ... I don't mean to be offensive, but it just seems so strange to me. Hunters don't usually care."

"Well, I didn't become a hunter by choice. It was by accident, actually," Renato admitted, causing Fon to look back to him. "I used to be an ordinary hitman, no wiser to the supernatural than the next guy. A client sent me knowingly or unknowingly after a demon. Word got out, more supernatural targets came my way. I didn't care either way. The pay was good and a hit is a hit. Then clans got interested in me. I ended up accepting an offer of proper training and 'education' from the Arcobaleno. Trained and worked with them for about two years."

"What happened?"

Renato hesitated for a long moment, but then he told him. He told him ... _everything_. Renato ... He'd never had anyone to tell all of it to before. He'd never been close to someone before and yet here he was now, telling it all to a man he'd known for about two months, whom he'd tried to kill. A man who was, by definition of Renato's profession, an enemy, a target, his _prey_. Except Renato has never considered monsters specifically as _prey_. Not anymore than he would humans. Monsters were not beasts to him. In fact, Renato found his own kind far more detestable. After all, it wasn't monsters that had taken away his own humanity. Professional killer or not, consent was a thing Renato cared deeply about and he hadn't given consent for body modifications.

"I don't even know what they gave me," he finished with a huff, making sure he was staring out in front of himself so he doesn't see the horrified look on his friend's face. "I didn't even let them inject the whole dose, so I don't know if I got the full effects. I just know I got some serious magic potential from it. I mean, it passed on to Leon!" He exclaimed and felt the chameleon in question shift into some other form as if to support his emphasis. "That's how he became a shapeshifter. He literally used to be just an ordinary chameleon I kept as a pet. Now he's my constant companion and partner, my best friend."

Fon hummed. "If I had to guess ... I would guess you're sharing blood with a fairy type. Judging by your scent, the speed and strength you showed and the strong, pure magic coursing through you, I'd actually bet big money on the blood in your veins is sidhe."

The hunter's head whips around to look incredulously at the vampire. Sidhe were immortals living in Albion, a mystical, magical lake somewhere in the UK that no one could find and they are on the list of top ten strongest supernatural creatures. They're practically impossible to catch since they practically never leave their own separate plane of existence within Albion, so now Renato wasn't sure what to think of the enemies he'd made in the Arcobaleno. Werewolves, oracles, harphies, hydras, kitsune and medusae were all strong and rare creatures, very hard to find and capture, but sidhe were a whole different category.

Just how _powerful_ are the Arcobaleno? Colonello was strong, fast and a good tracker, Luce was a weak fighter but had foresight and magic the likes of which Renato had not seen in another person, Lal Mirch has some scary eyesight and hunting capabilities, Skull could regrow his own head _easily_ , Viper's illusions were actually stronger than some monsters' but they're a shit fighter and Verde can harden his body or anything else in seconds but he usually didn't go out in the field. Renato knew so many of their secrets, but he'd never been left alone in their library and he'd never been allowed in Verde's laboratory or storage. If they had enough sidhe blood on hand to inject into Renato, then he can understand why.

"They must have had _plans_ for you," the martial artist commented. "Just what did you _do_ for them?"

"Just ... Jobs. Hits. They'd give me a target and I'd go after it. Never gave it much thought, but then they started trying to get me to believe in their ideology? Well, more aggressively than usual. I've never done anything special."

They fall into silence that actually lasts two hours before a howl echoes throughout the woods and Kyoya joins them in a second, his favorite tonfa at the ready, prepared to fight. Kyoya grinned up at the two adults in exhilaration and Renato couldn't help but fondly return it with a smirk of his own. Fon just shook his head at the two of them even as he took a deep breath and let it out in a full body sigh in preparation for the fight.

They had a lot of fun that night.

00000

After they got out of Italy, Renato managed to contact a guy that owed him a favor and snuck them onto a train with VIP passes so the conductor wouldn't bother them and so off they were towards Russia. Fon had some old friend who could get them to China and she wouldn't turn them down, no matter how risky it all was. Several days of near luxury did them all some good. Kyoya was often conflicted between enjoying a soft sleeping space and asking questions. Kyoya was actually a lot older than Renato and he had traveled all over the world, but he would usually not see some region for decades or longer so there were always new things to see and not everything can be found in books. Renato didn't mind answering his questions, though he tried to ignore how warm he felt every time Fon looked at them with almost overwhelming fondness.

Months had passed by the time they reached a honest to fucking god _fucking_ castle where Fon's duchess friend lived. She was a bleach blond female vampire with purple eyes and she was dressed like a Victorian doll, all frills and ribbons. She smiled to show off her fangs and judging by how straight they were, it was clear she was a _turned_ vampire and yet she was of some seriously high status among her kind. She greeted Fon with arms open in welcome and what could only be a besotted smile. "Fon! It has been so long since you've visited us last! I have missed you."

"It's a pleasure to see you again as well, Natasha," the born vampire said with a smile as he accepted the hug. Kyoya sneered at the woman over Fon's shoulder when she looked at the other two with the red-dressed vampire, sticking to the hitman's side with Hibird puffed up uncomfortably in his hair. "Thank you for having us."

"Oh, it's my pleasure, truly," the woman, Natasha, waved him off when they let go, still smiling charmingly at the other vampire. "Please come in! Freshen up, rest and then we can dine together this evening."

"Thank you," Fon said as they were ushered inside.

As they were entering the huge double doors, Renato felt piercing eyes on him and turned his head to lock gazes with Natasha. There was some serious disgust and anger in that purple glare. The hitman arched an eyebrow in askance and challenge, but then he felt a small hand grab his and he looked down to see Kyoya's eyes flashing silver in threat and Natasha backed off in surprise. The boy then dragged him inside without a single word to their host. Renato didn't like being rude to women so he tipped his head at her as he let himself be led to the room the three of them would share. Natasha had actually prepared three rooms - well, her vampire slaves did, anyway - but the three travelers had decided they'd rather stay together. Fon and Kyoya felt it would be best to keep an eye on Renato in Natasha's house. She has a reputation, apparently.

"She likes to collect the most handsome men and turn them into her slaves," Fon had said and Renato couldn't help it but lean into the other's personal bubble, voice low and husky, their noses millimetres apart.

"Are you saying I'm handsome, Fon?" The resulting blush and stammering loss of composure from such a usually calm and collected man had been _extremely_ rewarding. Renato wanted to see _more_.

Renato found that he rather liked Fon. He's not sure if he should do something about it. Fon was his only real friend, the first one in his life and he didn't want to lose that. Not to mention he'd be losing Kyoya, too, and he was really damned fond of the kid. Not to mention that Fon and Kyoya were going to Japan ... Would they even want him to stay with them? Would they ask him not to go back to Italy? If he was honest, he would say he wanted to stay with them, _fuck_ being a hunter. He could open a coffee shop or a bookstore and name it after his mother or something. Lay low. Enjoy life. It's not like he's an adrenaline junky and if he's living with two vampires, he doubted he'd ever get bored. They traveled, they sparred, they had actual enemies against whom they could go all out and they kept cute - mythological - animals. He could live a full life with them and still be peaceful and satisfied. Did he want that? Did he want to lay down the gun?

"Bitch," Kyoya suddenly groused, surprising the hitman out of his thoughts. He frowned down at the kid.

"You don't like her?"

The little vampire nodded. "She's been trying to get Fon to marry and mate with her for three hundred years now," silver eyes looked up at him through eyelashes and black bangs. "Fon doesn't seem to realize she's proposing to him every third sentence, but at least he's never accidentally accepted up to now." Renato wondered if it was as the younger Hibari said or if Fon knew exactly what he was doing. "She's not giving up, no matter how many times she's been turned down one way or the other. I wouldn't even mind the persistence if she wasn't a herbivore."

"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow at that.

"She just wants him for the status it would afford her," was all Kyoya said on the matter and Renato was left to question it until just before dinner. Kyoya was taking his damned time soaking in the bath - probably to piss off Natasha - and Fon wanted to stay to make sure the kid actually made it to dinner so he'd sent the already refreshed hitman down to tell their host. Which is how Renato found himself in a stare-down with one pissed and hissing vampire with Leon hissing right back at her, not liking how she was treating _his_ human. Renato just wondered in how much shit he could land himself and his companions in if he kills such a prominent vampire. Because he _is_ seriously very tempted. And provoked.

Where does Natasha get off to spout such shit at him for his companionship with Fon?

"You're not worth the dirt he walks on, _pixie_ bastard," the woman hissed, teeth bared. "How dare you walk with him as though you are his equal?"

"Aren't I?" Fon's certainly never made a fuss about Renato being a human or having sidhe blood, unwillingly injected at that. "He seems to think that I am."

"Fon is too good for his own good," she said, sounding exasperated. "Too kind for his situation, too naive for his age. He should know better than to act as if he's just another bloke on the streets. That's not how royalty should be treated."

Renato went absolutely still. "Royalty?"

Natasha shot him a nasty, victorious grin. "You didn't know? Guess he's smarted up enough to not go spilling such things to random people he meets. The Hibari are the oldest vampire bloodline and Fon is the grandson of the first ruler of _all_ vampires, the famous and legendary Blood Emperor." Renato spared a second of thought to wonder just why the _fuck_ someone would carry such a title when ancient vampires didn't feed on blood before Natasha was speaking again. "Fon and that little brat that clings to his heels are two of the ten Hibari left in the world. Fon's just babysitting him until the brat decides to grow the hell up and move on as a favor to his dead sister. And once he doesn't have to play caregiver, he'll finally want to settle down, start a family of his own."

"And you honestly think he'd do it with you?" The hunter retorted snidely, scoffing to show just how much he doubted that would happen.

That pushed the woman too much and, like all women scorned, she unleashed hell. Her biggest mistake was that she first went for his neck. Vampires were hardly the only things with sharp teeth that go for the neck and Renato had more than enough experience in twarthing such a weak attack. Hitting the wall with her back and breaking it didn't keep her down for long and soon she was upon him again. Leon didn't need words to transform into a gun, but Renato reacted even quicker and on the third dodged punch, he grabbed her head, twisted her neck until it broke and let her body fall to the floor, seemingly lifeless. He only then took the gun and shot her in the head, blowing her brains out, because he knew now that he'd gone this far already, there would be no peace for them. Even a momentary death of a vampire with slaves leaves the slaves utterly insane and unsalvageable.

The screaming milliseconds later said as much.

It would be best if they could focus solely on getting out of this damned castle without having to worry about a pissed off duchess coming after Renato for momentarily killing her. Renato spared a moment to look down in disgust at the bullet that had finished the job. He hadn't used one of those for months. Even when they had been fighting those werewolves, he'd only killed one or two with silver bullets more through accuracy than magical bullets that destroyed the being from the inside. Silver wasn't lethal to werewolves any more than lead was to humans. Werewolves could be taken down by regular bullets without any magic or anything. They just had thicker skin for certain materials. Silver was almost like an allergy to them.

The dining hall's doors burst open at that moment and the hall was suddenly filled with vampire slaves gone mad in the wake of their master's death. Renato grit his teeth and started shooting again, having no choice but to keep using those damned bullets. He felt sick just _thinking_ about them with Kyoya and Fon just upstairs, let alone _using_ them. These were the bullets he would have used that night, that would have killed Fon and taken his warm kindness from the world forever. It could have been his finger that had pulled the trigger and done it.

For the first time since he'd become a hitman, for the first time since he'd killed his mother's murderer, he felt sick to have a gun in his hand.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been fighting the crazed slaves and he must have killed a good portion of them that had been making up the staff of the household when Fon and Kyoya flew into the frenzy, clearly done with their own portion upstairs. Neither vampire hesitated to kill their own kind, which made Renato recall that most studies have proven that enslaved turned vampires don't have much of a mind of their own to begin with and none at all once their master dies. It didn't make killing them easier, because they were still _vampires_ and Renato had seen how Kyoya had flinched away from the corpse of the latest vampire Renato had shot when it had gotten too close to the boy. These projectiles were deadly to his allies as much as they were to their enemies.

It took them _hours_ to finally clean house of all the pests and they were all exhausted by the end. The house was splattered with red or black blood stains - the blood gets darker the longer one is a slave - and there were corpses everywhere. There were holes in the walls or ceilings, windows were broken and very little was left of the furniture.

"We can't stay here," Fon said as soon as he regained his breath. His hair was a mess, the usually immaculate braid all but undone, and his clothes were torn in several places.

"We can't exactly leave right now, either," Kyoya pointed out, gesturing outside where dark clouds were gathering and thunder rolled in the distance. A flash of lightning just further proved his point as the storm approached. "And they're all dead, anyway. You can destroy this whole place in the morning. We can spend the night."

"Maybe I should leave," Renato suggested, only to find himself pinned under two pairs of eyes. He blinked, wanting to reach up and rub at his own when he realized they weren't silver. What the hell? No, Kyoya had blue eyes that seemed to flash with silver naturally and Fon's were a dark, chocolate brown with minute undertones of red further from the pupil. He'd seen their eyes flash with red or violet because of their magic before, but he'd _never_ seen them take on _these_ colors.

"You're as tired as we are. Don't be a herbivore," the younger said with a sniff.

"What caused this, anyway?" Fon asked, frowning down at the mauled corpse of the once duchess. "Did she try turning you? I wish I could have gotten my hands on her first."

Sinclair had to blink at that, stunned. "You're ... You're not angry?" He was under the impression that Fon at least saw her as a friend, if nothing else. The look the other adult was giving him as an answer was very telling.

"Why should I be? I _did_ warn you what she was like, right? I just hadn't thought she'd do it right away. That's usually not her style - she likes to play with her prey first."

"Actually, she just tried to outright kill me," Renato countered, bringing a hand to rub at his neck awkwardly. "I _may_ have pissed her off a bit when I told her you wouldn't even consider starting a family with her once Kyoya grows up and 'leaves you'. She pissed me off first, though, when she made it sound like you're just putting up with 'babysitting' Kyoya and the way she seems to objectify you just because you're a royal-"

Fon let out a very loud sigh at that. "She got into that? Again? I thought she understood by now that I _hate_ that."

"So you're actually of royal blood?"

"Does it matter?" Kyoya countered. "We're still _us_ and we both hate the attention that whole royals bullshit brings into play." He paused, crossing his arms and looking up at Renato with a judging stare. "Is that the only reason you got pissed? Because of how she treats uncle?"

The hitman narrows his eyes at the 'child'.

Still, it is Fon who asks. "What do you mean?"

Blue-gray eyes roll. "I'm asking if he got into a pissing contest with that bitch just because she was treating you as a piece of exquisite meat or if there was something more to it. Like hating the fact that _she's been attempting to seduce you for centuries_. In other words, did he get jealous or maybe even insecure of his place in your heart? Like an oblivious herbivore that can't see what's under their nose."

Renato actually felt his eyes widen to near bulging out of his skull, but Fon went as red as his disintegrating spells. Kyoya, deeming his job done, left the two flabbergasted and embarrassed adults to hash it out while he went in search of food that can be salvaged for both dinner and breakfast. The rain started pounding against the - partially destroyed - roof of the residence before either man moved. Hibird could be heard singing something from the dining room, indicating the younger Hibari was probably still in there, which might mean some food had not been ruined in the initial mad rush, which was good. Now, if only either Renato or Fon could bring themselves to actually go in and eat it.

"Were you?"

"What?"

"Jealous. Were you?" Fon repeated and Renato brought up a hand to play with his curly sideburn. He actually wasn't all that certain himself. He'd never had reason to be jealous before, even when he'd been just the son of a bookstore owner. But he _could_ admit that he hadn't liked the idea of Fon being with someone else and not just because it was a shallow person like Natasha. The now late duchess only happened to be the first person they'd come across that showed a 'romantic' interest in Fon.

"I think so, yes," he admits and Fon blushes even brighter red.

"Oh."

"Does it bother you? That I might like you as more than a friend?" He asks carefully and Fon's head snaps up so their eyes meet, looking a bit frantic.

"No, of course not! In fact," the vampire bites his lips, eyes not quite meeting Renato's. "It makes me ... Very happy. Because I like you, too. As more than a friend, I mean."

Renato briefly wondered if this was the most awkward conversation he's ever had _in his life_. Had to be, since he'd learned about 'the birds and the bees' from a book so his mother would never have to give him The Talk in his dead father's stead. "Good."

"Good."

"Just kiss already so we can eat!" Kyoya shouted from the dining room and, to his mortification, Renato realized he was blushing. The _horror_. _This_ , more than even sparing and befriending a vampire, would ruin his reputation irreparably. It got worse when Hibird echoed the smaller vampire like a chant.

Renato just wanted to _die_.

Fon looked like he shared the sentiment.

00000

They left the castle early the next morning, on fucking _horses_. Renato had never learned how to ride and even with a short tutorial, his supernatural companions knew their human travel buddy wouldn't be able to gallop along with them. So he found himself 'riding bitch', as it would be vulgarly called if it were a motorcycle, behind Fon as they started making their way to China, from where Kyoya and Fon had a connection to Japan.

Did he mention that the horses they were riding were actually winged unicorns? (Or horned pegasus? How do you decide which is which, and yes, both exist. Do you judge by who the mare or who the sire was?) Because, yeah, that had been Natasha's solution for them. She was famous for breeding all sorts of magical horses, most notably pegasuses. (Pegasi?) There was a vast collection of different hybrids in her stables and they had set them all free since no one would be providing food for them. Renato kind of hoped the selkies will find a good lake to live and hunt in. They hadn't exactly seen any on their way to the castle.

Travelling by flying horses was actually really fast and in less than a work week, they found themselves in Peking. They set free their horses and booked a room in a shady motel that at least had hot water. They didn't need anything else and the receptionist didn't give two fucks about why they looked like they'd just come from some medieval fantasy quest. It's this that reminded Renato that the knowledge of the supernatural is actually still pretty much confidential between the hunters - who all belonged to their own clans, which is why he'd always been scouted and was an oddity to this day for being freelance - and the creatures themselves. Monsters stuck to their own and being hunted by humans like the monster hunters certainly didn't warm them to cohabiting with humanity. They hid in plain sight or secluded communities, depending on whether they can hide their 'otherness'. Renato would have been one of the countless ignorant ones had that one client not sent him after a demon.

As it was, Renato went out with Fon and Kyoya to eat at some street food stands with traditional Chinese food. He found the combination of tastes both weird and interesting, though some of the more ... _wild_ dishes kind of put him off of his food. Renato did _not_ want to try snake soup or frog legs, thank you. Or just about anything from that particular stand. Some may call it a delicacy, but Renato calls it animal cruelty. Lizards are _not_ meant to be food and Leon damn well agrees! Thankfully Fon and Kyoya just want fish and some noodles, so no one was offended there.

It all looked like such a naive, peaceful night that Renato berated himself for not having realized it was going to be anything _but_.

He couldn't be blamed, of course, for not predicting that Colonello and Viper would be in the crowd, following them, or that Lal would be on a terrace keeping an eye on them through a sniper. Or that Skull was just around the corner with a van made to contain even someone as ridiculously strong as Renato.

He should have, because one can run from their past only for so long and only so far, yet he hadn't.

He probably would have been struck by a dart no doubt filled with some tranquilizer drug Verde had developed had it not been for Fon's supreme hearing and speedy reflexes. The dart erupted into red disintegrating flames and Fon's and Kyoya's eyes went straight to silver, something he'd learned meant they were actively using their vampire powers. They were twenty times stronger than a human when _not_ using it at all, fifty times stronger when idly utilizing it for something and anything between one hundred times and one thousand when actively using it and that's _without_ bothering with magic.

Colonello bared his fangs at them as soon as he stepped out from the crowd, whether it was supposed to be a grin or not was lost to them all. Fon, Kyoya and Renato, regardless, all took it as a threat.

"I'll take the kitsune," Kyoya said, eyes flashing purple with magic as he looked through whatever illusion Viper had put around themselves.

"I'll take the werewolf," Fon claimed. "Renato, you take care of the sniper."

"Right," the hitman said, taking Leon in hand as the chameleon transformed into his favorite kind of gun. "Look out for others, too. I doubt this was a coincidence."

"They're not taking you," declared the younger of the vampires, tonfa appearing in his hands. "Not even over our dead bodies."

"Same for you two." Hey, he might have started off his acquaintanceship with these two by trying to kill them - well, _Fon_ , to be specific - but they've just spent _months_ traveling together and they were literally one step away from their goal. _Just one_! Fon had someone called Ào Ji who will _gladly_ take them across the sea to Japan and not the same 'gladly' as Natasha had. Ào Ji was, apparently, a relative of some sorts or something. They just had to meet the guy at midnight at the seacoast and they were practically home free! Renato was _not_ going to allow these assholes to ruin a perfectly good early retirement plan. And he was especially not going to allow the Arcobaleno to place their filthy paws on _his_ vampires.

"Hey there, Renato, kora!" Colonello said with a handsomely roguish, partially threatening grin. "Why didn't you tell us you were just getting us a vamp? We could have helped you!"

"You would have only gotten in the way and obliterated and then I'd have to clean up the remains," he replied coldly, letting his magic run through his body. "Thanks for being such great friends, by the way. You've made me feel _real_ special."

"You were never special," Viper's voice states, coming from all around them in an attempt to remain hidden. Neither vampire was fooled and Renato knew all of the illusionist's tricks. Viper had always hated him because Renato had a way of rationalizing away their illusions so that they don't affect him. "You were just one of seven billion humans out there. You just happened to be a little stronger than the others at one point in time."

"And yet it's me you used sidhe blood on," the hitman countered, rolling his eyes at Viper's unchanged inferiority complex. "Save your breath. The only reason _I_ ever joined _you_ was because you didn't pussyfoot around the fact that you were hiring me to be what I am: a coldblooded killer for hire. You just worded it a bit more delicately as opposed to clans like the Vongola going on and on about reforming the world into a better place by taking control over its 'most volatile inhabitants'. _Fuck_ that shit. And fuck you." With that, Renato didn't hesitate to shoot at Lal, the woman with harpy blood avoiding death at literally the last second by flipping up the hide of a Nemean lion to prevent the bullet from fracturing her skull.

Fon and Colonello took that as their cue to lunge at each other and Viper also attacked with illusions in an attempt to confuse Kyoya. Renato had to dodge return fire, but he retaliated at the same time, so there was no greater danger for himself there. Lal may have the advantage of higher ground, but Renato _loved_ homing spells and his beloved Chaos Shot could be combined with so many different spells and make practically new spells that the move was practically invincible. Renato had had to make it up and master it all on his own. And the more he studied with Kyoya and sparred with Fon, the stronger he got and the more creative his Chaos Shot combinations were. He fired one such combination at Lal, blinding her sensitive with the Flames of the Sun and creating an opening for the overstimulating properties of the spell to hit her. Lal specializes in poisons and tranquility spells, so she'll survive the otherwise deadly blow to her body, but she'll be immobilized for quite a while.

A blur of cameo and sunflower yellow alerts him that Fon is also done with the werewolf, Colonello lying in a heap of debris and dust, out cold and with several burns and a nasty gash on his head that was bleeding sluggishly. The two adults nodded to each other before turning to see how Kyoya was doing, only to find a very much visible and very much knocked out Viper lying on the floor, chained up, at Kyoya's little feet while the kid polished his tonfa with his cape. Hibird was cleaning his feathers casually.

"We should get going," Renato says. "Skull will come check on them soon if none of them responds for a regular check in."

"How did they find you?" Kyoya asked, practical as ever. They started moving, going back to their motel to get their things and start their journey towards the sea a bit earlier than expected.

"Shit," he cursed under his breath. " _Luce_."

"I am taking it you don't mean light, yes?" Fon asked dryly, grabbing Renato around the waist and hauling Kyoya into his free arm, resting him on his hip, before he lurched into a run for a couple of blocks and cape to a stop halfway between the motel and the site of their fight.

"Luce Giglio Nero, the leader of the Arcobaleno. She has oracle blood or something and is a very powerful seer and shaman. She must have predicted that I'd be here." Heavens, but he hoped she hadn't come here herself. He actually didn't know how powerful of a magic user she _could_ be. He didn't want Fon or Kyoya to get hurt. "If she's here, we won't be able to hide from her Sight. We need to leave."

"I think I can protect us from her Sight," the younger Hibari said, magic already glowing in his eyes. A dome of indigo smoke settled over them and both Renato and Fon looked to their - in appearance - youngest party. "This dome, unfortunately, has a time limit of only twenty minutes. We should take the least predictable way to the coastline. Right now. This spell leaves me unable to fight and I will be too exhausted to be of any help by the time we reach the time limit."

Well, there went his plans on asking Kyoya to teach him. Renato doubted he had enough stamina where magic was concerned, or enough reserves to begin with, to be able to successfully do the spell. It was damn useful, too, making it an even greater shame that he won't be able to learn it, because they quite literally walked right past _Luce_ and Verde at the reception area of their shady little motel. The owner slash manager, bless his suspicious, paranoid little soul, wasn't saying anything, no matter the money Luce offered him. Renato knew it was only a matter of time before he broke under the pressure when Verde eventually takes out his favorite dissecting equipment, so he ushered his vampires to go faster.

By the time they left town, Kyoya was already looking a bit strained, so Fon politely asked Hibird to assume his true form and then Renato found himself riding behind a fretting Fon, in front of whom was a pale and sweating Kyoya, on a freaking phoenix. He's pretty sure rare few people have ever had this privilege. He kept a tight grip on Fon around his waist and made sure to keep his balance, while the other man had a secure hold on Kyoya in case the younger vampire loses consciousness. The strain of hiding a phoenix was even greater than what Kyoya had expected to exert, which meant even less time for the spell to last. Thankfully, Hibird was a fast flier, doing his best to lessen the strain of his vampire partner, and they arrived just minutes after the spell finally fizzled out from around them.

"We shouldn't stay in one place," the hunter said while checking over his ammo. They would have been in trouble had they left their shit back at the motel, but with all of his equipment at hand, Renato was confident he could take down the Arcobaleno all on his own should it come to that. His priority is getting Fon and Kyoya to safety. He'd brought them to the Arcobaleno's attention when they were already trying to outrun the Vongola and other hunter clans. And while the Arcobaleno _could_ have been the ones after them, Renato's actually pretty sure none of the 'strongest six' have been aware of the Hibari's existence. For one, they would have all come out at them, not hesitating to throw themselves at the questionable mercies of an unknown pure blooded vampire of immense power and age. And that's not even taking into account how bad of a liar Colonello is. Even if he hadn't been told, Lal would have, as she is the field commander having once been in the army and she told her 'pupil' everything, since they were in some sort of romantic relationship or something.

Which meant Renato had just brought the Arcobaleno down on the already overwhelmed Hibari's heads.

"We can't leave this area," Fon countered. "Ào Ji will be here in less than half an hour. We just need to find shelter we can easily defend. I'm not as good with the spells Kyoya uses, but I can still mask us long enough for us to leave unnoticed." The older vampire adjusted his grip on an all but passed out Kyoya, who was halfheartedly fighting the hold and mumbling about not needing help and not being a herbivore. Renato _still_ had no idea how Kyoya grouped people, but he'd learned to let it go. The kid has never been wrong so far.

"Fine, we'll find a way to hold out until-"

It came out of nowhere. None of them heard it. Or rather, it was indistinguishable from the sea breeze and the waves crashing against the beach. They had no time to react before Renato felt something pierce his neck, right over his aorta, and then he was crashing to the ground as something immediately started _burning_ him from the inside out and he couldn't help but scream in utter, unbearable _agony_. It literally felt like someone had set hellfire to his blood and not even the strange healing factor of the magical blood coursing through his veins was helping him. If anything, his _magic_ was writhing in as much agony as he was! And the more it tried to counter whatever the fucking hell was attacking him, the worse it got.

He was barely aware of the world around him anymore, everything just hurt _so much_. He ... He couldn't _breathe_ , he realized. He ... Was he _dying_? Is this how his mother had felt? But ... He couldn't _die_ , not _now_! He ... He had to get Fon and Kyoya to safety! They were _so close_ ... They'd almost made it! He ... He can't die until the Arcobaleno are taken care of!

But he can't move. He can't breathe. He can barely _breathe_! For the first time since he pulled the trigger for the first time and took a human life, Renato Sinclair felt helpless, _weak_. Like a _herbivore_ ... And he can't do anything about it. He felt his strength seeping out of him and not just the extra strength he'd gotten from that sidhe blood the Arcobaleno had injected him with. He was really dying ... This was his life slipping from his body ...

He's not done yet. He _refuses_ to _die_ , not until he's certain the Arcobaleno can't go after _his_ vampires. Fon and Kyoya will be fine without him. He's just a speck of light in comparison to their lifespans. They would have had to put him in the ground eventually ... Better it be now than when they get attached to him ...

Renato's not sure what he does or how he manages it, but he fires off one last Chaos Shot with everything he's got left and that is just _torture_! He's sure he screamed bloody murder, but that's when he loses all sense of self. He doesn't even feel the ground underneath him.

Bits and pieces of awareness filter through in a haze but he can't really understand-

_"Please, Renato! Don't do this! Hang in there!"_

He's ... He's just so ... _tired_ ...

_"Open ... eyes ... -ase!"_

He wants a nap. He's earned that much, right? Just a nap.

_"He's ...t breath... Magic ... drained ... targeting ... -dhe blood-"_

Just a second ...

_"Plea- ... -n't go ... still so much ... do ... -ant to know yo- ... I really like you ... want more ti- ..."_

Just a minute ...

_"We ne- ... go."_

_"-sorry for t- ... Let's meet ag- ... After this, you will be reborn-"_

Just ...

00000

He woke up in a dark, cold room of some sorts, made of stone ... A mausoleum, he thought distantly, as he felt something long and thin and slippery glide over his cheek. He turned his head and blinked in confusion when he saw a strange greed lizard with yellow and red eyes staring at him. The lizard wiggles its curled tail excitedly, happily, and he brings a hand up automatically to scratch under its chin and it looks even happier.

He sits up, running a hand through his hair. A fancy hat - a fedora, he notes - falls off of his stomach to the ... The bottom of what appears to be a stone casket? Why was he in a sarcophagus? Did ... Did something happen and people thought he was dead? _Was_ he dead? Is he a ghost? Touching his face, he realized he felt pretty solid and real, so he concluded it must have been a mistake. Had to be. Why else would he be in a tomb?

It couldn't have been too long, either. There are no cobwebs, the stone looked untouched by time and there was next to no dust anywhere. He got out of the sarcophagus and searched for a way out. It didn't take long to smell the fresh air coming from outside and following the direction with his eyes, he saw a hidden, sealed door. A heavy looking stone slab. He wondered for a second if he would even be able to move it as he pushed halfheartedly at it but the stone suddenly gave under his touch, crumbling as though a wrecking ball had smashed against it. He blinked at his own hand in confusion and for some reason didn't flinch at all when the lizard landed on his shoulder, carrying the fedora with its tail. Right.

He figured he shouldn't question it until he can find someone who has some answers. So he walks out, into a long hallway that eventually starts leading upwards. After nearly ten minutes of walking, he comes upon a staircase that leads upwards at a steeper angle. When he reaches the top, he finds himself in a room nearly identical to his tomb and again finds another door. It breaks under his touch like the last one but this door leads outside.

He's in a graveyard, he finds, and the position of the red moon overhead tells him its midnight. There are a couple of peaceful clouds rolling across the sky, occasionally blocking the lonely moon. There are no stars out. The wind is gentle but cold. He wondered what date it was. Had to be autumn or winter for it to be this chilly. Not that it really bothered him but he's trying to figure out his own situation. None of this makes any particular sense to him-

A sudden noise to the left has him automatically reaching for the chameleon and he's not surprised when it turns into a gun. His hand is sure and steady as he effortlessly, unerringly points it at a shady looking, slightly scurfy, roguishly handsome man dressed in a white suit with black lapels and purple dress shirt. The man freezes upon seeing him and slowly raises his hands in surrender.

"Easy, my friend. I mean you no ill." Friend? Did this man know him? "I'm just passing through. Didn't know someone else used this shortcut ... "

_'Guess not,'_ he thought as he put his gun down.

The man relaxed and smiled at him. "Name's Shamal. Who might you be?"

He went to answer but hesitated. His name ... Wha-? Why can't he ... ?

_"Sorry ... Let's meet again ... Reborn,"_ a voice that he finds familiar and dear echoes in his mind and he finds himself longing for it. Had he left someone behind? He has to find them! They must have mourned him! He needs to make sure they're not said anymore!

Maybe Shamal could help him find them? Help him catch up on what he's missed? ... Be his friend?

"My name is Reborn."

**CONTINUA**

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Halloween!
> 
> So, just a short notice. This story will have a sequel, which should be up soon! You know, just in case you're interested ... 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the story and please don't be shy! 
> 
> Tell me what you think!
> 
> Hope you have a nice day!


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